Folding and stacking machine



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July 14, 1953 V. V. WOOD ET AL ING AND STACKING voLLm-W v WOOD EM/LE 5.5/605 18 Sheets-Sheet 17 00W u w w E 9 3 M O U 3i M w.@ m m w ll. M.L 5Nu n x om July 14, 1953 v. v. WOOD ETAL FOLDING AND smcxmc MACHINE FiledOct. 1, 1948 July 14, 1953 v. v. WOOD ETAL FOLDING AND STACKING MACHINED/ m m ww a w WM WW 6 ad M v. S 0 w \W h 3 MM 4 m 17 wow L M y/M O VN ob02 V E kwtkoknzh 8 m l C 0 d .w m NE YLN Patented July 14, 1953 FOLDINGAND STAGKING MACHINE Vollmer V. Wood, Los Angeles, and Emile B. Bigu,Beverly Hills, Calif., assignors to Pioneer Development 00., LosAngeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application October 1,1948, Serial No. 52,392

' a 11 Claims.

Our invention relates to devices for folding and stacking laundrypieces, and is particularly adaptable for first folding and thereafterstacking limp, flat articles which are not stiff enough to be handled bythe ordinary machines.

The principal object of our invention is'to provide an automatic machinewhich may, but need not be, used in conjunction with the common ironingmachine, such as the mangle, to receive laundry pieces therefrom, foldsaid laundry pieces, pile said laundry pieces in a stack, and delivercounted stacks of pieces to the attendant.

Another of the objects of our invention is to provide mechanism for theaccomplishment of the aforesaid purposes wherein the laundry pieces arehandled in such a way as to be either freely suspended to preventwrinkling or held in such manner as to stretch out wrinkling in saidpieces, thereby obviating the danger of creasing, misfolding, bunching,and the like.

A further object of our invention is to provide means whereby laundrypieces fed to our machine may be picked up automatically from theironing machine and need not be fed to our machine by hand; anadditional feature used in conjunction with such pick-up means beingthat should pieces bunch in progressing away from the ironing machine,our device automatically disengages from the laundry machine, signalsthe attendant, and permits the pieces to fall therefrom to be laterretrieved by said attendant.

Another object of our invention is to provide alternate forms ofmechanism whereby the laundry pieces may be longitudinally folded in afree drape, positively held about the longitudinal folding members, orfreely held along the line of longitudinal fold.

Difficulty having heretofore been met in imparting to a longitudinallyfolded laundry piece a transverse fold, while avoiding wrinkling andbunching during this operation, another of our objects is to providemeans for preventing bunching and wrinkling during both the longitudinaland the transverse folding of the piece preparatory to stacking.

A further object of our invention rests in achieving the free suspensionof laundry pieces as delivered from the folding mechanism so that saidpieces may be thereafter stacked without creasing, wrinkling and thelike.

Yet another of our objects is to provide a novel stacking mechanismutilizing air resistance to hold the pieces during the conveying thereofto the stacking platform,

- to form stacks of predetermined numbers which are automaticallydelivered as counted to the attendant.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a perspective View of our folding and. stacking machineshowing its general construction;

Figure 2 is a view showing the face of the machine control box taken onthe line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the laundry piece receiving end of themachine;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the machine;

Figure 5 is a partial plan view of the machine looking down from theline 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an elevational view of a stack of finished folded pieces asdelivered on the delivery member of our machine;

Figure 7 is another side elevational view of our machine, leaving outcertain lower portions thereof;

Figure 8 is another plan View of our machine with certain parts brokenaway;

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9 9 of Figure 4;

Figure 10 is a plan View showing the laundry piece in its longitudinallyfolded position prior to being transversely folded;

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10 showing the laundry piece inthe process of being transversely folded;

Figure 12 is a detail sectional elevation taken on the line I2-l 2 ofFigure 7;

Figure 13 is a similar view showing the stacker mechanism in operation;

Figure 14 is a detail plan view of the transmission box;

Figure 15 is a typical plan of the air cylinders with parts broken awayto show working parts;

Figure 16 is a detail sectional plan view showing principally thetransverse folding mechanism;

Figure 17 is a detailed sectional plan view with parts broken away takenon the line II-Il of Figure 7;

Figure 18 is a detailed sectional elevation with parts broken away,taken on the line I8-I'8 of Figure 7;

Figure 19 is a similar view showing additional parts;

Figure 20 is a sectional plan view with certain parts broken awayshowing detailed portions of the transverse folding and conveyingmechanisms;

Figure 21 is a detailed side view of a modification in the longitudinaland transverse folding mechanisms of our device;

Figure 22 is a detailed plan view of such modification;

Figure 23 is a perspective view of a modified form of the machine havingfeeding belts at an inclined angle to maintain smoothness of thematerial and a slidable plate to form an opening for knife travel intothe folding rollers;

Figure 24 is a sectional plan View taken on line 242l of Figure 3;

Figure 25 is a diagrammatic top plan view of the sliding plate moved aftand the knife carrying the towel through the opening into the foldingrollers;

Figure 26 is a detail sectional elevation taken on the line 26-26 ofFigure 7;

Figure 27 is a detail sectional plan view, partly broken away, taken onthe line 2'I2l of Figure 26;

Figure 28 is a similar view showing additional parts;

Figure 29 is an enlarged detail showing a portion of the view shown inFigure 4;

Figure 30 is a detailed sectional rear elevation ofthe control box;

Figure 31 is a detail sectional view of the control box taken throughthe line 3I3I of Figure 30;

Figure 32 is a detailed sectional view taken on line 32-32 of Figure 33showing holdback mechanism on the stacking platform;

Figure 33 is another view of said mechanism;

Figure 34 is a view similar to Figure 35 showing the mechanism in a,different operating position;

Figure 35 is another such View showing the mechanism in a stilldifferent position;

Figure 36 is a detailed view of a portion of the control box taken onthe line 36-36 of Fi ure 31;

Figure 37 is a sectional side elevation of the laundry piece deliverymember and associated mechanism;

Figure 38 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 38-38 of Figure 8;

Figure 39 is a detailed elevational view, with parts broken away, of thestacking platform and limit switch associated therewith;

Figure 40 is a detailed view of a safety mechanism on our device;

Figure 41 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the air control andoperating mechanism of the machine;

Figure 42 is a block circuit diagram illustrating the electrical controland operating mechanism looking at the machine from the opposite side ofthe folding rollers;

Figure 44 is a sectional view taken on line 44- 14 of Figure 43;

Figure .45 is a top plan view of a portion of the machine showing onlythe feed belt pattern, the knife travel, the folding rollers andassociated means;

Figure 46 is a top plan view of the machine with the carriage mechanismnot shown;

Figure 47 is an enlarged plan view of the driving means for the beltpattern;

Figure 48 is a perspective view of a modified form of the machineemploying a clutch mechanism to operate and stop conveyer belts;

Figure 49 is a side elevation illustrating the drive for the conveyerbelts;

Figure 50 is a section taken on line 5G50 of Figure 49 showing clutchdisengaged;

Figure 51 is a view similar to Figure 50 with the clutch engaged;

Figure 52 is a wiring diagram of the clutchdriven machine.

Referring to the drawings, particularly Figure 1, our device consistsgenerally of a framework design-ated I00 which is movably supported byrollers I92. The frame I90 consists of a cast frame Hill pivotallycarrying and supported by a crutch I66. Extending transversely from saidframework and carried thereby is a delivery bed I08, and also supportedby said frame is a stacking frame I Ill which is additionally supportedby a vertical member H2 connected tothe bed 138. Adjacent said stackingframe H0 and generally level therewith is provided a shield Il l whichis supported by straps IIB aflixed to the cast frame IM and which inturn support a receiving and folding means. In order to raise and-tolower the s end of our machine providing the receiving portion and thehand wheel E83, said universal joints being adapted to provide a bearingsurface which permits pivoting the crutch IUIi in response to turningthe hand wheel Hi9. Additionally as will appear hereinafter, variousrollers, valves, pulleys, motors, and control means are supported by thecast frame I8 and associated supporting members.

Generally, the device contemplates the folding, stacking, counting, anddelivery of flat pieces through operation of means associated with thestructure heretofore described. The machine is particularly adapted forjuxtapositioning with an ironing machine or mangle shown as I I3 andwhich type device is well known in the art and which delivers uponconveyer belts or the like I20 a flat, freshly ironed piece of laundryI22. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the flat piece I22 is progressed onthe conveyer belt I20 toward the end thereof but is picked up by aflexible arm I24 extending from the aforementioned receiving portion-ofour device, which will hereinafter be more completely described.Thereafter the piece I22 is caught between the belt portion I28 and theidler wheel I28, is pulled onto our device and forms an initiallongitudinal fold about the said belt portion I26. I

Progressing along the said belt portion I26,

